PROSPECT OF PEACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19485, 15 November 1926, Page 13

PROSPECT OF PEACE.

BBITISH coal STRIKE. | TERMS QF GOVERNMENT, j districts to consider. I liEfiSTON ON THURSDAY, j i CABINET ANT) MINEOWNERS | LEC IS IA TION THREATENED n_ iVJesr.'iiih —Prons AfFOciation—Copyright (Received 5.5 p.m.) ■ n ~.v . s.y. LONDON. Nov. in. TV coalminers' delegates early this iliv::>i?sed the Government's '■-•n? ?'••!• a «ef*ls»mpnt of the strike by j Ther-» were sharp differences of opinion, j p-„. P of the districts wished to continue ! the fight, while others favoured the acmitwre of the terms because nothing wtor "fjr.ld be obtained. When the full conference resumed the representatives of South Wales and Yorkshire headed ih-» fighting section. A vote was first taken .r= to whether the conference would recommend the districts to | accept the terms. This was carried by 432.000 votes to 352.G00. The conference then voted on the ones- ] tion whether a decision should be left to the districts or to the miners individually. Hie pronosal for an individual ballot was defeated bv 427.000 votes to 357.000. The results of the voting in the dis- ; tricts are to be returned by Thursday j next. What Led up to the Decision. The decision of the conference comes after protracted discussions. The executive of the Miners' Federation conferred with the. Minister of Mines yesterday and reported the result to the conference of miners' delegates. The latter had not reached a decision in the evening and adjourned until this morning. This course was taken because the delegates required further enlightenment. The principal bone oi contention at that stage was that of the powers to be conferred on the independent chairman in each district. The members of the conference apparently objected to anything savouring of compulsory arbitration. The chairman of the Mining Association, Mr. Evan Williams, stated last night that he had only communicated to the Government information he had received from th? districts. He was communicating farther with the Government with a view to clearing up misunderstandings. Owners and Government's Terms. ■ Earlier in the day t'ne coalmine owners had issued a statement. This was to the effect that the terms the Government had proposed for a settlement ot the dispute, as outlined to the miners, were not the terms of the owners. Later the Government issued a statement explaining that the terms were not based on an agreement between the Government and the owners, but if the miners accepted them the Government would proccsd independently with the necessary legislation. The miners' conference then discussed the terms and the executive met the Government in the evening to elucidate pertain points. The Government issued a further stateSBSftnt to the effect that Mr. Evan Williams had assured it that the district association of mineowners would not object to the majority of the Government's terms. The statement added that the terms necessarily could not be agreed to by the owners because they refused to negotiate as a national "association. High Hopes Entertained. 'IIID owners' statement, which amounted tun virtual repudiation of tha Government's terms, canw as a complete surprise. The Government's immediate reply, however, promising legislation in jfilo event of the acceptance the terms by the miners removed the possibility Ot another collapse. High hopes were centred in the meetiPg last evening between the Government Kid the men's representatives. It was own that there were considerable differences of opinion among the latter regarding the acceptance of the terms. She result was that no recommendation Was made to the daiegates at their conference. The general secretary of the federation, Mh A. J. Cook, in a long and passionate spscch. had vigorously attacked the termsIt can be said with more or less certainty this morning that the greatest of ail strikes, which has paralysed Britain for 28 weeks is drawing to a close. Dramatic conferences were held far into the night. The leaders left these meetings tired and worn out, but the situation had completely changed. There were many adjournments throughout the night, when the Government hurriedly conversed with the president and vice-president, oi the Mining Association in another room. Labour representatives who are in closest touch with the miners said the odds in favour of a settlement had increased from 10 to one on Thursday to 100 to one to-dav. Publication of Correspondence. Considerable correspondence has been published regarding the negotiations. A letter from the Department ol* Mines showed that Mr. Baldwin agreed to the deletion of a clause relating to victimisation. Mr. Cook explains that the miners' executive thought this was inadequate. Other letters relate to Mr. Williams' disclaimer regarding the Government s i terms and the reply of the Government. Mr. Williams said he had made st perfectly- clear that he and the other owners were appearing purely in their personal capacities in order to give the required information. He opposed the terms because he said they were impossible for certain districts. Mr. Williams also gives a direct denial to the statements attributed to him in the Government communique. The general expectation id Government circles is that the miners will accept the terms in view of the recommendation of the conference The strike is therefore regarded as being as good as over. The owners refuse to prophesy what the district owners' associations will do in that event, and confine themselves to saying

that it will bo a matter for each district to decide whether the terms of the Government are economically practicable. The reply of the Mines Department to .Mr Williams states that the Government found consultation with the owners' district associations impracticable and was compelled to consult the individual owners fully. It appreciates the owners' declared objections, but the Government accepts full responsibility. The department says it has been made perfectly clear to the miners that the Government's terms are based on increased hours and that the Government j cannot give a guarantee regarding worsting conditions. Hug 3 Losses and Much Suffering, i There are now 320.000 miners back in | the pits, which is one-third of the total j employed ;n the industry. The average ] weekly increase in the number of men who have returned to work in the past month was 25.G00. The cost of the strike to the country has been colossal. The loss in coal exports alone since the stoppage totals £25.000.000. nased on last year's trade, and £44,000,000, based on the trade in 1924. Outdoor relief sn the areas directly affected by the strike has increased £223,000 a week, and has reached a total of £5.800,000. Only five steel furnaces are >.u blast, compared with 147 before the strike. There are various estimates of the loss m general trade and these figures are astounding. They rival the daily expenditure during the war. The cost of household coal is more than double the price before the stoppage. Hundreds of thousands of homes are without fires. It is impossible to exaggerate the sufferings of the miners and their families. Trade Boom Already Predicted. It has often been said the miners were the victims of a slogan. Against this the Minister of Health, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, in a speech at Glasgow this evening said:— " When we see the mine-owners unprepared to sit at the table and discuss terms with their employees, all I can say is it must be a very badly managed industry. Such a spirit of antagonism is as unnecessary as it is suicidal." As a result of the changed situation there are distinct signs of a trade boom. Industries up and down the country are waiting to carry out large orders. The shipyards have received orders for 14 vessels involving millions of pounds. Only to-day advice was received by cablegram from Buenos Aires that a British tender had been accepted for a complete system of underground tube railways. This contract is worth millions of | pounds. WORKERS' ENEMY. A BOLSHEVIK'S LAMENT. | MINERS URGED TO FIGHT ON. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON. Nov. 13. The Riga correspondent of the Times says the Soviet leader Lozovsky is dismayed at the probability of a settlement of the coal strike in Britain. In an article in the Moscow papers he urges the- miners not to allow the council oi the Trades Union Congress to interfere. Lozovsky says the .position is not so desperate as to warrant suicidal steps. Britain's economic structure has been shaken to its foundations by the loss of her foreign coal markets and it would be t madness, he says, to allow Messrs.. Pugh, i Thomas and Company to ruin the situa- | tion while there is still a winning chance.